A book like East of Eden could only have been written by someone who had a God’s eye view of humanity. I don’t think anyone has come close to exploring every corner of the human soul like Steinbeck did, except for perhaps Somerset Maugham in Of Human Bondage. The man was born to write and tell us about ourselves.
I believe that Steinbeck set out to write a book that was comparable to The Bible – it might not be thousands of tissue-thin pages, but it’s just as hefty and full of substance. It’s a technicolor version of a bible story, turning a parable into an epic family saga.
Lee. Beautiful, precious, love-filled Lee. My favorite character in all of literature. Lee, full of compassion and thoughtfulness and rare understanding. Lee who delights in his private thoughts as a person delights in a passion project. Lee lights up every page he appears in. I love his love for the Trask family, his love for Abra, his necessary sternness toward Adam and Cal, his exploration of timshel, his friendship with Sam Hamilton, his impatience for self-indulgent sorrow. I love him as though he were a real person, and I regret that there isn’t a record of his life in the California Department of Public Health. Indeed, I’m almost mad about it. It seems borderline cruel to me that Steinbeck would create such a beautiful character that only exists within the pages of East of Eden.
Steinbeck’s consideration for his readers: there are endings within this book, like the death and departure of certain characters, that Steinbeck finds a way of softening without completely glossing over. Whether by instinct or compassion, he seemed to know that lingering over these events would cause too much despair in his readers, and for that I’m grateful.
I just finished reading EoE for the third time, and even though I know the story, I’m sitting here stricken and stunned. Steinbeck had a knack for creating perfectly natural stories, where, no matter what happens, you can only think, of course….of course…out of all the myriad stories woven into EoE, there wasn’t one that didn’t fulfill its promise set forth by the temperament and nature of every character. His work is the embodiment of “it is written.”
My life feels fuller for having read this book. I believe it is the best book that’s ever been written and will ever be written.
by michelleinbal